Advanced Sensing Technologies + Digital Transformation
Unconventional thinking for unique results
Advanced Sensing Technologies + Digital Transformation
Unconventional thinking for unique results
Who we are
We are a team of experienced technology entrepreneurs with skills covering sensing technologies, instrumentation design and fabrication, embedded computing, digital engineering, model-based system engineering (MBSE), firmware and application software, mobile apps, and web services. DoD funding facilitates our current R&D emphasis on photonic sensing technologies, health monitoring, and MBSE for smart manufacturing.
Based in San Ramon, CA, optoXense performs photonics development using modern equipment, including high resolution optical spectrum analyzers, solid state light sources, sensitive power meters, high resolution imaging systems, nanopositioning devices, ultra high temperature microfurnaces, fiber polishing systems, and thermally controlled optical breadboards. Mechanical engineering and CAD / CAM tools include 5 axis CNC machines and large format 3D printers. Modern software tools and electronics suites complete our comprehensive development capabilities.
What we do
Photonic Sensing Technology
Contemporary scientific advances have proven fiber optic sensors have a broad range of monitoring capabilities. Whether attached or embedded, cold or hot, static or dynamic, sensing elements hosted within human hair sized optical fiber can provide a wide breadth of information. Despite this potential, interfaces that translate the optical data and broadcast useful information are still primarily research or laboratory class equipment, with uncommon user interfaces.
Therefore, one of our charters is to create a new paradigm for fiber optic sensing hardware to proliferate advanced sensing capabilities in the field, for both common and extreme environments. We aim to displace contemporary rackmount and benchtop form factors by developing the necessary integration technologies to produce miniature multifunctional devices encased in rugged and lightweight packaging.
The resulting field capable photonic sensing hubs are designed from the ground up as user friendly appliances, in which the advanced photonics platform is coupled with customizable edge intelligence. Integral remote management capabilities will support efficient wide area deployment for civilian and aerospace applications over constrained or intermittent connectivity. Ongoing efforts are sponsored by a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Phase 2 SBIR program.
Model-Based System Engineering
Digital networked control systems (NCS) are increasingly used for mission critical applications. Regulations strongly encourage model-based engineering. Automated code generation from models leads to significant cost savings and reduction in errors.
We have developed the means to synthesize NCS with strong quality of service (QoS) assurance from SysMLv2-defined models. The technology could benefit NCS development for autonomous vehicles, smart manufacturing, medical instrumentation, utility control, and robotics. We are developing a software tool that combines these means into an integrated software application. It captures the methodology and workflow for designing NCS, automatically inserting features necessary to support rigorous timing analysis, simulation, and verification. Inserted features enable plug-and-play, fault tolerance, and cybersecurity. The tool greatly benefits engineers developing NCS for safety critical applications. The application is an open framework that integrates third party tools for related work. Since SysMLv2 is quite new, we are also developing knowledge-capture tools to facilitate building models in SysMLv2, focusing on the entire chain, from stakeholders and requirements to the implemented solution. This work is sponsored by a Department of the Air Force Phase 2 SBIR program.
Health Monitoring
The monitoring process involves the observation of a system (engine, structure, infrastructure, etc.) over time using periodically sampled response measurements from an array of sensors (e.g., temperature, strain), the extraction of critical features from these measurements, and the statistical analysis of these features to provide situation awareness and the current state of system health.
One of our technology development areas is to provide prognostics and health monitoring systems based on the needs of our customers using a variety of sensor types. The application areas include aerospace systems, propulsion systems, infrastructures, and transportation systems. Low cost systems with intuitive interfaces will help proliferate the benefits of continuous and short interval monitoring.